New York City Power Poll: February Edition

I’ve polled Ryan, Ryan and Jaden and come up with the newest version of the Power Poll. One of my writers, who will remain nameless, wanted me to note that it’s a bit of a down year in New York City. But when you think about it, there’s a possibility that four or five teams from this poll could be heading to the NCAA tournament. That’s not bad at all.

The full rankings (1st place votes):

St. John’s (3)

Stony Brook (1)

Rutgers

Iona

Seton Hall

Princeton

Fairfield

LIU Brooklyn

Wagner

Rider

Also receiving votes: Columbia and Sacred Heart

It’s worth noting that Princeton and Fairfield were separated by a single point and that every team until LIU appeared on every ballot, so there was some general consensus.

One voter selected Stony Brook No. 1, which is actually pretty defensible, the Seawolves are the top team in the Pomeroy rankings (no, it wasn’t me). They’re also rolling through America East right now. St. John’s though is still over .500 in the Big East at the moment. Though with a stretch that includes UConn, Syracuse and Louisville as their next three games that might not last long. Ryan P. explained it well when he said:

I’d love to select Stony Brook as my #1, but I have to reward the Johnnies for home wins over Notre Dame and Cincy, and of course for having a winning record in the second toughest conference in the nation.

As for the bottom of the rankings, I like that Rider is hanging in there, though Columbia and St. Francis Brooklyn have some legitimate complaints. From 210 to 223 in Pomeroy you’ll find five local teams. Those are the teams duking it out near the bottom of the rankings (SFC, LIU, Wagner, Yale and Manhattan).

We’ll run another version of the poll right before conference tournament play kicks off in March.